How to treat diarrhea in a goat with folk remedies. Diarrhea in kids and adult goats: causes and treatment at home. Treatment of diarrhea caused by infectious diseases

Like all children, little goats do not yet have strong immune system, and their stomach is also not yet able to work like a clock. Therefore, young animals, especially those under 3 months of age, are susceptible to diseases such as diarrhea. Before treating diarrhea in kids, you should find out the cause of its manifestation. Not in all cases you need to immediately resort to antibiotics, because there is a risk of further disrupting the intestinal microflora.

Causes of diarrhea in kids

The most common causes of diarrhea in young goats are:

Symptoms of diarrhea in kids

The symptoms by which diarrhea can be identified directly depend on the cause that caused it. So, if diarrhea occurs as a result of overfeeding, a poor-quality “menu” or a change in diet, the kids:

They lose a little weight.
After eating, they bleat louder.
The area under the tail is constantly wet and dirty with feces.

The kid refuses to eat and loses weight sharply.
Moves less and breathes heavily.
The stool turns yellow, green, or red and foams.
Body temperature rises.

Treatment of diarrhea

First of all, it is necessary to separate it from other relatives and transfer it to a separate room. It is regularly ventilated and the bedding is changed several times a day.

It is impossible to take goat kids out for grazing in the warm season until they have fully recovered and have established bowel movements.

Milk should be excluded from the diet of young animals for a couple of days. To lavage the stomach, make a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Next, drink herbal infusions made from one of the following ingredients:

oak bark;
chamomile;
bird cherry berries;
pomegranate peels.

Rice water has a good antidiarrheal effect. For this, 1 tbsp. rice pour 7 tbsp. water and boil for 10 minutes. Strain and feed the kid with warm broth every two hours, ¼ tbsp.

Treatment of diarrhea caused by infectious diseases

If diarrhea is caused by more serious reasons than overfeeding or a change in diet, it is still advisable to show sick kids to a veterinarian. If you have foamy stool of discolored color and elevated temperature, you cannot do without taking antibiotics. The drug Biovit, consisting of a complex of antibiotics and vitamins to restore intestinal microflora, has proven itself well for these purposes. Levomycetin, Biomycin or Farmaxin are also used.

Unlike adult goats, the digestive system of kids, especially in the first weeks after lambing (birth), is not fully formed. The gastrointestinal tract cannot digest rough, solid feed, so diarrhea in a kid is noted much more often than in adults. This condition may be accompanied by various side symptoms.

Diarrhea is characterized by frequent bowel movements. Feces have a watery, liquid consistency. May contain a large number of mucus, foam, bloody clots, inclusions, threads, remains of undigested food. If kids have diarrhea, you can determine its root cause by the consistency and color of the stool.

Important! Diarrhea in a two-week-old goat is a very common occurrence that occurs due to the fact that the animals are switched to a different diet. Early weaning from the mother will cause severe stress. The goat constantly cries, refuses food, and quickly loses weight. Your pet may have an infectious disease, so to determine the root cause of diarrhea, consult a veterinarian.

Sudden temperature changes and high humidity in rooms can also cause stomach upset in small, newborn goats. If a goat gives birth to one kid, the baby will diarrhea from overeating, so excess milk must be expressed.

Causes of diarrhea in adult goats

Adult goats have a fairly strong stomach and can easily digest a wide variety of feed. At the same time, goats also experience diarrhea, which can be caused by:

Goats are quite unpretentious eaters, voracious animals. In this case, stomach upset may be caused by poisoning. For example, if a goat ate leaves, seeds poisonous plants. Poisoning is possible when eating a large amount of cake. The plant contains a lot of gossypol, which is very slowly excreted from the body and partially accumulates in it.

Important! Diarrhea in a goat can occur in the first days after lambing, as soon as she gives birth, or a few days before giving birth.

Diarrhea in adult goats can develop due to eating a large amount of succulent feed, legumes, cabbage, beets, fresh herbs, and wet grass. Feeding soft food also often causes diarrhea.

Therefore, when feeding goats, it is necessary to take into account age, gender, and general condition of the body. Before adding hay to the feeder, carefully assess its condition. The diet of small goats and adult animals should be of high quality, nutritious, and varied.

Symptoms

Main characteristic clinical symptom- frequent bowel movements, in which the stool has a liquid, watery, mushy consistency. Depending on the root cause, in addition to diarrhea, other side symptoms may develop:

nausea, vomiting;
pain on palpation of the peritoneum;
decreased, lack of appetite;
depression, drowsiness, weakness;
rapid breathing;
heart rhythm disturbance;
increase, decrease in body temperature;
bloating, flatulence.

Kids quickly lose weight. Severe profuse diarrhea can provoke intoxication. The functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted. Beneficial substances are not absorbed into the intestinal mucosa. Children lag behind their peers in growth and development, look weak and exhausted.

Important! If a goat or kid has diarrhea, it should be isolated from other animals for a while, as an upset stomach may be a symptom of infection.

Diarrhea in adult goats leads to a reduction in milk production. The goat is losing weight due to lack of appetite. Animals are depressed, apathetic, exhausted. Disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract and metabolic disorders are noted.

Diarrhea can provoke intoxication, cause dehydration, and cause disruptions in the functioning of the central nervous system (muscle tremors, cramps, paresis). This condition can cause death.

With infectious diarrhea, there is blood in the stool. Feces are dark brown and green in color. They emit a foul putrid odor. Body temperature is increased. Side symptoms increase sharply after eating.

With non-infectious diarrhea, stool has a very different color, shade, and consistency. It may contain a large amount of mucus, foam, and remnants of undigested food.

Treatment methods

If a kid is diarrhea, a veterinary doctor will tell you what to treat. Treatment should be started immediately after the first signs of diarrhea appear. At the same time, in order to stop diarrhea, it is necessary to find out the root cause that provoked stomach upset in the goat.

A strict diet will help cure non-infectious diarrhea in kids. The kid is limited in food for 12–24 hours. In this case, the animal must have access to fresh drinking water. It is best to feed an animal with diarrhea 200–250 ml of warm saline solution every 3–4 hours.

To normalize stool, you can give the goat a steep rice water. It is given to goats warm, a quarter of a glass, 3-4 times a day. Herbal tinctures based on medicinal plants(chamomile, St. John's wort, bird cherry). For normalization general condition To maintain strength, you can add a little low-fat milk to the decoctions.

Table salt helps with diarrhea. In this case, milk is not given to babies. Dip your wet finger in the salt, then rub the goat's mouth.

Important! If kids have diarrhea, a decoction of oak bark and a starch solution help very well. They are quite easy to prepare at home.

If kids are diarrhea, it is very important to prevent dehydration, so always monitor the frequency and quantity of bowel movements.

To normalize the general condition and activate the intestinal flora, the diet is adjusted, enzyme agents, probiotics, and vitamin and mineral supplements are used.

For infectious diarrhea, experts prescribe antibacterial drugs for goats. complex means(antibiotics). Animals are given Phthalazol, Levomycetin, Sulcin, Biomycin. The duration of treatment is 3–5 days.

If adult goats are swearing, give the animal a few spoons castor oil, bird cherry berries, rice flour, oak bark decoction. To prepare a decoction of oak bark, take 1.5 tablespoons of crushed dry bark, pour 250 ml of boiling water over it, boil over low heat for 10–15 minutes. After 30 minutes, after first straining the finished mixture, you can pour 50–60 ml of the decoction into the goat’s mouth. The animal needs to be fed three times a day until clinical symptoms disappear completely.

Prevention of diarrhea

To avoid the development of diarrhea, it is necessary to choose the right diet for goats and monitor the quality of feed. Food should be varied and balanced.

It is systematically necessary to monitor the cleanliness and hygiene of the premises in which goats are kept. Do general cleaning once a month. If the goats suddenly begin to diarrhea, reconsider the living conditions and diet of the animals. Pets should receive fresh food, clean drinking water.

During the cold season, ensure optimal temperature regime. Goats should not be kept in damp, stuffy areas, so consider effective system ventilation.

Do not graze goats in swampy, damp places. Do not suddenly change the diet of kids or lactating goats. Otherwise, the baby’s body will react to a sudden change in the composition of mother’s milk.

To strengthen the body's immune potential and increase its resistance, give goats vitamin and mineral complexes. If the first symptoms of illness or worsening of the condition appear, contact your veterinarian. Treatment for early stages gives good results and can save the life of a goat.

The milk yield of small dairy cattle directly depends on the health of the animals. Not everyone knows that even such a seemingly insignificant disease as diarrhea in a goat can significantly reduce its productivity. This is often because changes in stool structure can be caused by dangerous infections or serious physiological problems. How to avoid such situations? Let's figure it out.

Causes of diarrhea in adult goats

Avoiding digestive problems in small dairy cattle is fairly easy. Enough to implement proper care look after the animals and monitor the quality of the feed.

The appearance of diarrhea in kids - the main reasons

Unlike adults, young animals do not differ in the stability of the digestive system, since many internal organs have not yet adapted to life outside the womb. Because of this, diarrhea in kids occurs much more often than in adult animals. Usually the reasons for it are:

Young goats need to be looked after more carefully than older goats. The most critical period for the health of kids is up to three months of age.

To prevent the appearance of loose stools in young goats, only high-quality care is not enough. A good preventative measure would be to feed animals a decoction of oak bark. This medicinal solution will strengthen the stomach and facilitate its rapid adaptation when changing food. It is made from a tablespoon of raw materials and two glasses of boiling water, the infusion time is 1 hour.

Symptoms

During the grazing period, diarrhea in goats, which is in initial stage or caused by non-serious reasons, it can proceed completely unnoticeably for the breeder. This is due to the fact that the herd spends most of its time outside the stall. Despite this, there are signs by which the presence of a sluggish disease can be determined:

The back of the animal's body is constantly stained with manure.
The goat has lost a little weight.
After eating, the animal bleats louder and more often than usual.

During the stall period, it is easier to notice the appearance of diarrhea in goats. Basic cleaning of the premises will indicate the presence of sick animals - the bedding in their stalls will be dirtier and damper than usual.

If diarrhea is caused by a serious illness or viral infections, then the symptoms will be slightly different:

sudden weight loss;
refusal to eat;
change in the color of stool, up to green, red or yellow;
foaming stool;
decreased animal mobility;
decrease in milk yield;
increased body temperature;
rapid heavy breathing.

The appearance of diarrhea in kids is accompanied by the same symptoms as in adults.

Treatment

Treatment methods for diarrhea in adult goats and kids are somewhat different, since the diet of these age groups varies greatly. If symptoms of the disease are detected, it is advisable to contact a veterinarian. If this is not possible or you have to wait for an inspection, then you should independently take primary measures to protect the remaining animals:

isolate the sick goat from the main herd;
It is advisable not to consume milk from a sick goat; it is prohibited to give it to kids;
do thorough cleaning and ventilation of the room where the sick goat is transferred;
a sick animal should not be taken out to pasture.

As for the direct treatment of the disease, it is important to identify the cause. Depending on the source of the problem, the ways to fix it will differ:

Diarrhea in kids, which is of the same nature as in the cases described above, is treated in the same way. Milk should be given in small portions or replaced with acidophilic yogurt.

In addition, animals weakened by the disease should be supported with vitamins in the form of injections, since the stomach is not able to absorb the drug.

If the disease is of a specific nature, unique only to this age category, then the procedure should be as follows:

When overfeeding goats, it is necessary to reduce feeding rates.
If you change the diet, you should return to the goat's original menu. After the diarrhea stops, you can change your diet again, observing the principle of gradualness. It is necessary to partially replace the old food with a new one, gradually increasing the amount of ingredients unusual for the animal.

In all cases of diarrhea in goats, it is necessary to exclude the dairy component from the diet (for about a day). In addition, you can give animals a decoction of oak bark in the same concentration as for prevention.

Chamomile decoction has a good effect; you can dissolve diarrhea tablets in it. In addition, chamomile strengthens the goat's immunity and treats irritation of the intestinal walls due to diarrhea.

It is important to treat goats for diarrhea in a timely manner, since long-term disease can greatly affect the productivity of animals. Diarrhea in young goats can lead to a stop in the development of the body and even to fatal outcome. The same tragic end is possible in adult goats, since advanced diarrhea leads to exhaustion and dehydration.

Goats are distinguished by great endurance, excellent health and good immunity. However, kids, like all young representatives of the animal world, sometimes get sick. Intestinal diseases accompanied by diarrhea is one such problem. Diarrhea leads to dehydration of animals and decreased immunity. In severe cases, young animals may die. This article will tell you what to do in such a situation.

Goats are hardy animals, but diarrhea can undermine the immune system.

The disease is acute and rapid. It is simply impossible not to detect signs of the disease, since they are quite pronounced. If measures are taken in time, the kid can be saved. The main causes of diarrhea are:

poor quality, stale and irregular food;
the food contains few vitamins and microelements;
sudden changes in weather conditions;
too rapid transition from breast milk to “adult” food, changes in diet. Special attention newborn babies require. For them, even cold milk poses a mortal danger. Another “crisis” age is two weeks. If a baby weaned from a lactating goat frequently “cries,” this could be both a reaction to stress and a sign of a serious illness. So consultation veterinarian there will be no excess;
overfeeding kids;
It happens that an animal diarrhea due to a cold.

The baby’s body also reacts violently to the temperature of the food. For example, it is not advisable to give goat kids cold food during the cold season. The same reasons can provoke diarrhea not only in goats. Diarrhea also occurs in adult animals.

Symptoms

The choice depends on the manifestations of the disease effective way treatment. Types of treatment will vary depending on the cause of the diarrhea.

Infectious diarrhea. The stool is liquid, watery, covered with foam or itself is a foamy mass. The baby goat's feces are colored unusual color(white, green or reddish). Appetite is reduced or absent altogether. The animal is lethargic and inactive. Sometimes the temperature rises. Abdominal pain is especially intense after eating. The kid tries to kick himself in the stomach and bleats loudly.
Diarrhea in kids is of non-infectious origin. The animal has loose stool, but the stool is of normal color, without any foam. The animal remains active, looks quite healthy, and has retained its appetite. However, this condition also requires careful attention to the baby.

Diarrhea can be treated as folk remedies, and medications

Folk remedies

So, the kids have diarrhea. How is this disease treated? The first remedy is to make a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate and give it to the babies to drink. In addition, they will need a special diet. Milk should be excluded from the diet for a couple of days. The next point is to keep the room immaculately clean. Here effective recipes from diarrhea.

Decoction of oak bark (per tablespoon of powdered bark - 0.5 liters of boiling water). The mixture is infused for half an hour. The frequency of administration is from 1 to 3 times a day, 0.25 glasses, until digestion is normalized. To make your baby more willing to drink the medicine, you can mix 0.25 cups of decoction with 0.5 liters of milk.
Non-infectious diarrhea in small kids can be cured with rice water. You need to add water to the rice (volume ratio 1:7) and boil over low heat. Frequency of administration: 0.25 cups every 2 hours.
Pomegranate peels. The brewing technology is the same as for oak bark.
Castor oil helps with diarrhea. 2-3 tablespoons of castor oil allow sick young animals to get rid of intestinal upset.
Salt. Just dip your finger in the salt and rub the goat’s mouth.
Camomile tea.

To normalize digestion, it is permissible to temporarily replace milk with acidophilus yogurt.

Drug treatment

Regarding the use of medications to treat diarrhea young animals, you should consult a specialist. It is necessary not only to normalize stool, but also to restore healthy intestinal microflora. Diarrhea of infectious origin can be stopped with antibiotics:

"Biomycin";
"Levomycetin" and its derivatives.

Each type of antibiotic is aimed at neutralizing certain microorganisms. Therefore, a preliminary call to the veterinarian is required so that he can tell you how to treat the animals. The wrong choice of antibiotics can lead to the death of goats. There is no need to delay, as there is a risk of mass infection and loss of livestock. After successful antibiotic therapy, the goat should be treated with probiotics to restore normal intestinal microflora.

Proper maintenance and feeding of goat kids - reliable protection from diarrhea and other diseases

Prevention

Review of conditions of detention. Cleanliness and dryness in the goat's rue is one of the most effective preventive measures from diarrhea. During the cold season, care must be taken to ensure that the room is protected from drafts and cold.
Optimization of diet (feed animals with warm, fresh, clean food, replace dry food with steamed food).
Avoid grazing in wetlands and after rain.
If diarrhea is provoked helminthic infestation, deworming in spring and autumn will help solve the problem. The drugs “Bimectin” and “Alben” are effective.
In case of overfeeding, reduce feeding standards.

The correct selection of medications helps to cope with diarrhea quickly and successfully.

Goats are one of the domesticated animals that provide useful and delicious milk. The urbanization of society has not led to the loss of the farming segment. It is important for every owner that the livestock is in good, well-groomed condition. Beneficial features food products are widely known, so maintaining the health of livestock is not just a sign of care, but also a guarantee of providing the family with high-quality homemade products.

Diarrhea in goats is very common: usually the disease affects not only the health of the animal, but also the characteristics of the milk. If the situation is neglected, death is possible.

Characteristics of the disease

Diarrhea is a common disease in domesticated animals. The manifestation is frequent bowel movements with feces that have a rotten smell. In goats, diarrhea causes dehydration, so it is important to begin treatment of the individual in a timely manner.

Symptoms

In goat kids, diarrhea can be fatal because feces are excreted from the animal's body useful material and water. The following signs of the disease may appear in the first few hours after birth, or in case of improper maintenance of the mother:

The individual does not require nutrition from the udder.
The animal is inactive and weakly reacts to signals of any nature.
The abdominal volume increases significantly in volume.
There is a decrease in body temperature.
Frequent urge and liquid feces of a yellow-green hue with a persistent putrid odor.

The disease progresses rapidly and requires a quick decision on treatment methods.

Causes of diarrhea

In order for the treatment to be as effective as possible, it is important not to make a mistake in determining the cause of the problem, namely:

Important! In order for the milk yield to be decent and the animals to be healthy, it is important to treat them carefully: keep them in a dry and clean room, properly prepare hay, and treat colds in a timely manner.

Secrets of proper hay making and feeding

Goats feed mainly on hay, which is why you need to be able to properly prepare it for the winter. Compliance with the stacking technology will eliminate the risk of the occurrence and spread of microorganisms hazardous to health in the hay, such as:

Putrefactive bacteria.
Highly toxic fungal spores.
Bacilli and clostridia of anaerobic type.

The grass should be dry. Before each feeding of animals, it is important to check the hay for signs of rot.

In addition to hay, it is necessary to diversify the animals' diet with silage, vegetables in the form of fresh cabbage, beets, and fresh grass. It is worth paying attention to the fact that too many root vegetables in goats' food can cause diarrhea.

Vegetables should be washed before feeding them to the animal - and feed should be discarded, since its consumption can lead to intestinal clogging, which will provide a favorable environment for the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms.

Treatment of diarrhea

Due to the fact that the majority of goat offspring have weak immunity, it is important to carefully monitor the animals and if problems arise digestive system– take drastic treatment measures, such as:

If the condition of the kids has improved, then you can send them to their mothers.

Treatment for an adult is a little different, namely:

The animal should drink 6 tablespoons of castor oil.
Drink strained rice water.
You can prepare a decoction of bird cherry: pour 40 grams of ground bark with boiling water in an amount of 270 ml. The broth should have a special shade of dark brown color. Give it to the animal three times a day, 60-70 ml.
In case of prolonged illness, resort to antibiotics: Levomycetin or Biomycin.

A special case of diarrhea is overfeeding or the inclusion of a new product in the diet. In this case, you should resort to simple actions, namely:

If the animal has been overfed, then you need to reduce the portions below normal.
If the diet has been changed, then it is worth abandoning these changes and returning the animal to its usual menu. After the diarrhea stops, it is possible to introduce new foods, it is important to do this gradually.

Treating sick goats requires speed and precision. To avoid erroneous treatment, it is worth seeking the help of a competent specialist in the field of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine.

Possible consequences

Goat milk is considered rich in vitamins and safe even for baby food. The consequence of diarrhea is reduced milk yield: the volume of milk decreases. This fact is explained by the disturbed water balance in the individual’s body, and in this case, it is necessary:

After an illness, it is important to provide the animal with dry food. This will help you get milk from high percentage fat content
During the period of illness in goat milk penetration of pathogenic bacteria is allowed. In this case, you cannot give it to the kids or eat it.

To protect animals and people from contaminated milk, it must be boiled. After which you can cook cottage cheese or cheese.

Typology of diseases

Contagious diseases

The list of such diseases includes several items, namely:

Diseases of this kind can be easily identified by an experienced veterinarian.

These diseases are characterized by the fact that their symptoms are very similar, namely:

increased frequency and difficulty breathing;
heat;
decrease in milk yield;
lack of appetite.

Conscientious care of the farm will reduce the risk of infectious diseases.

Non-communicable diseases

The list of non-communicable diseases of goats is small and includes:

It is possible to master the technique of laying hay and mixing feed elements thanks to special literature. Compliance with the requirements will protect livestock from disease.

Farming requires full-time employment and awareness of the owner in matters of livestock farming. Goats are easy to care for, however, it is important to take care of the animals and keep them in normal conditions.